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You might want to read the fine print there... These companies aren't morons. A guy sitting next to me, on a United flight, and I worked out the math. At best y
by tom_m 14y ago
You might want to read the fine print there... These companies aren't morons. A guy sitting next to me, on a United flight, and I worked out the math. At best you saved $50 on your airfare. You didn't fly for free. There's annual fees on top of limits sometimes on top of redemption restrictions... You just fell for the gimmick I'm afraid. In particular that Mileage Plus card. There used to be a better one from Continental. No free miles up front, but free checked bags and a % that you spend goes to a travel bank. I saved $40 on my flight to Austin, coincidentally, with average spending over a year or two. It's simply my travel cars now. The thing with these cards is that yes you can save a few bucks...a few...but you gotta go crazy over which one you use for which purchases. Dunno. It's a gimmick.
- tom_m 14y agoAlso, ever hear about paying taxes with credit card for points? People do that too. Still not sure it's worthwhile.
- jonemo 14y agoCan you elaborate on you math here? I am also always skeptical with deals like the ones mentioned in this article, but the claim that he only saved $50 on airfare makes no sense to me without further justification. He specifically mentioned that the first year annual fee is waived. I am not sure what limits you refer to. And of course there are redemption restrictions which usually require you to purchase such flights a few months in advance. A further reason I don't believe your comment is that I just returned from a fantastic holiday to the Caribbean whose flight was paid for entirely in United miles acquired exclusively through opening and using once a United Explorer Card. This, incidentally, is a neat trick to know: Flights to the Caribbean are considered domestic flights in the United system which means they only cost 30k miles, same as a flight from Boston to New York for example.